Chapter 7
Saro rolled up the sleeves of the button up shirt which she left open. Her red t-shirt ruffled in the wind as she leaned against the side of the ship, looking out at the sea. Sanji had left to begin making dinner, followed into the kitchen by Nami. Lin had adjusted easily to the change and was fast asleep on the grass with a little reindeer in her arms. Now, she was wearing a black tank top with blue jeans she somehow found.
'It's so peaceful, but I can't shake the feeling of apprehension,' the novelist thought as she sighed. A boy about Luffy's age walked out of the men's cabin and noticed Saro by herself.
"Who are you?" he asked, walking up to her. Saro turned her head, and greeted him.
"My name's Saro. Nice to meet you…"
"Captain Usopp is the name," he said boldly. Saro glanced away with an annoyed expression, and quickly returned to her normal face. "What brings you to my wondrous ship?"
"Be quiet. You talk too much, Usopp," interrupted a grumpy green, haired man. She turned around and saw the man with three swords at his side walk towards her. He scratched his head sleepily, and yawned. "My name is Roronoa Zoro. You must be Saro." Speechless, she simply nodded her head and gulped.
'He's a frightening man in person,' she added in after thought. She left the two guys to bicker about nonsense to search for another place for silence. Just then, Luffy yelled out happily and burst out of the kitchen.
"I found my hat!" he yelled, holding his hat triumphantly in the air. Saro chuckled to herself and decided to sneak into the kitchen. She found a quiet corner to sit and looked around the spacious room as Luffy's running footsteps faded away. There was a table that could fit all the crewmembers with room to spare, and a glorious kitchen area. Nami sat by the table, sipping some of her cocktail, prepared by no other than Sanji, who was busy cutting up some meat.
"Ah! Saro-chan, I didn't notice you had come in!" exclaimed Nami in a sweet tone. Saro nearly jumped out of her seat in surprise, but quickly regained composure. She smiled and joined her at the table, where Nami offered her a glass as well.
"No thank you," the writer refused. "I'm not very alcohol tolerant. I don't like the taste either." Nami smiled and placed the glass back on the table. Saro sat nervously as she continued speaking with Nami. Sanji had offered her a smoothie, but she also refused, getting up to leave the kitchen.
"Where are you going? We were just about to get to know each other better," asked Nami in a carefree tone. Saro turned back from the door, smiled, and answered, "We can do so another time. I look forward to it." The door quietly shut while Nami's eyes narrowed in disgust.
'She thinks she's so sly. Luffy must've done something to get her to come here from wherever he was. I'll find out soon enough.'
Saro walked across the deck towards the lion's head, jumped up a few steps and landed on the snout… where Luffy was already sitting. She saw his yellow hat, tried not to land with her feet, and landed right into his lap in a sitting position. She began turning as red as her t-shirt, while the captain was flustered from being landed on suddenly.
"Saro! What are you doing here?" he asked, in his usual bright tone. She quickly got up and sat next to him on the snout, keeping a small gap between them.
"Umm… I-I was just going to sit here and watch the sea," she stuttered, still embarrassed. He laughed, and the both of them sat in silence, watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon. Saro sighed contently, the first time she has in a while, breaking the silence for a brief moment.
"Ne Saro," he said, "will you join my crew?" She glanced at him with surprised eyes, and laughed.
"Haven't I already?" she asked. He shook his head and replied, "You never gave me an answer or said anything about it." Saro paused a moment to think, realizing he was actually right. Before she could answer, Sanji announced that dinner was ready. Like a rocket, he shot up from the snout, holding Saro's wrist, and ran into the kitchen.
"Foooooooood!" he yelled as he took his seat. Shaken, Saro also took a seat by the table next to him while the other crew members gathered around. Seated next to her was Lin, still groggy and holding the little reindeer. The small, little animal rubbed its eyes and yawned.
"Hey there little guy," greeted Saro. "My name's Saro. What's yours?" Surprised, the little reindeer hopped up, and landed on the table. He quickly ran and hid behind Sanji's leg, the wrong half of him showing. The cook chuckled and continued his way to the table to set the food.
"Chopper is his name, and don't worry. He's just a little weird," he joked. Chopper hit his leg in anger and left for his seat. Sanji also took his seat beside Nami while Robin sat besides Chopper. Just before Luffy could dive into the feast of food set before him, Nami raised her glass.
"I propose a toast," she said, "to the two girls joining our crew today." Everyone, even Luffy willingly, raised their glass and cheered. Lin raised her glass which was then filled with wine, but Saro refused to do so with her own.
"Saro, what are you doing?" whined Lin.
"I would prefer not to toast to a glass of wine," she said firmly. Sanji was about to pour her a glass of juice instead when Nami stopped him.
"Oh, come on, Saro-chan! What's a toast without a little wine? Even Luffy's drinking it, and he's under-age just like you!" she reasoned. Saro thought nervously about what to do when those words Luffy had asked echoed in her head.
'Ne Saro…will you join my crew?' She groaned softly to herself and reluctantly raised the glass, having Sanji pour wine into it. Luffy laughed, and smiled at her, making her feel a little worse about drinking wine.
"To Lin and Saro!" exclaimed Nami. Everyone repeated and took a swig of the wine. Saro stared into the dark red drink in her hands, closed her eyes and slowly drank it to the last little drop. Her face contorted a bit due to the bitter taste she hated in wine, but she wasn't alone. Luffy also made a face to the bitter taste of the wine. The two were the first to eat something off the table to relieve their taste buds. After them, everyone began fighting their way to get food before Luffy could.
OoOoOoO
Saro slouched by the side of the ship, her face red and blushing due to the other three glasses of wine Nami made her drink. But she wasn't in the state of being drunk though, just a little unstable. After leaving the kitchen, she was a little wobbly, so she decided to take a seat. Nami, on the other hand who was trying to convince Saro to drink even more, was drunk as ever. Along with Sanji too, which didn't always mean the best of things.
"Hey… Saro!" greeted Luffy again, who was actually a bit drunk. He squatted down in front of her, and smiled, wobbling back and forth a little. The writer eyed him a little before greeting him back. "Did hic you have a good t-time?" Afraid she might say something stupid if she opened her mouth, she simply nodded.
'I might be physically limited right now, but I still have a sane mind,' she thought. Lin bounded around the ship with Sanji and Nami, surprisingly not drunk like the rest of them. Suddenly, the captain fell forward into Saro, resting his head on her stomach. She gasped a little, and found it very hard to breath with him on her.
"Gomen… Saro," he mumbled before rolling over and sleeping on the grass instead. His steady breathing slowly lulled her to a tired state. She leaned back against the side wall, her eyes drooping. A thought reached her mind as she fell asleep, slid down the side of the wall, and landed on Luffy's rubbery arm. With what little conciseness she had left, she slid off his arm, and just curled up beside him for warmth.
'Am I… still sane to be here?' she thought when she felt a hand rest on the side of her arm. She subtly smiled as the captain and her dozed off to sleep.
Was that sweet or what? Even if Luffy's a little drunk... XD I'm thinking of making this part one of this little... drunken fiasco. I think I might update two chapters on this. Well, look forward to chapter 8, and see you next time! (Review please!)
